The board chairman of Chongqing Urban Rail Transport Group, Shen Xiaoyang, said that the city is speeding up the construction of metro line and light rail projects. Some 204 projects with a combined length of 178km are currently being built.

Three lines will be completed by next year, Mr Shen said. They are No.1 metro line from Caotianmen to Shapingba, and two strands of the No.3 light rail line, between Ertang and Longtousi and between Longtousi and the airport.

By 2012, three more lines will start operation, including No.6 metro line that will extend to the New North Zone, next to the bonded port. By 2013, another four lines will be finished and the total length of light rail public transport will reach nearly 200km. Mr Shen hopes that, by then, light rail and metro lines will be the most favoured means of transport for local residents, thus reducing congestion on the roads.